Licking Flames: Revised
by insideimasadrainbow
Summary: Sometimes the only outlet is to your own music. Gratsu. Many others. This is M. Romance. Angst. Humor. Language. Drama. Song-fic. Battling/rivalry bands. Fame. boy/boy. girl/girl. boy/girl. REVISED.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** I swear this isn't bull shit this time. I SWEAR. This is what I hope to be a revised version of the original. I just didn't LIKE IT ANYMORE. It kept going off track and i kept getting different ideas, but I'm sticking with this one. ("yearh right, she's such a fucking liar she's got me fucked up I don't fucking care no more") I feel like that's what some of y'all are saying but guess what. I just want to have a good complete full story I wrote and published all by myself. I want that satisfaction. I want this on people's favorites, I want this to be something people will always come back to, I want to be the next Rick Riordan damn it. No, I kid. That last part only lol. Seriously though, I struggle with chapter stories and it's ridiculous but I've had this idea for like four years now. I just never got to writing it until what, 2013-14? Amidst all of that, a virus on my computer ended up deleting all my stories which I'm still upset about. Seriously, I had shit on there from when I was 11. It's depressing as all hell but I'm not giving up on this story. Even if I have six readers, I'm completing this damn it. So here we go, take 7 on Licking Flames.

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They were so warm... so soft and tender against her chest. She cradled their tiny bodies in each of her arms keeping them close for as long as she could. She wanted to breathe their sweet honeydew scent for oxygen, she wanted to keep their warm heads nestled against her neck and to feel their soft breath exhaling into her skin. God, she wanted to be there for them always but she wasn't going to. It finally sunk deep within her, the knowledge that her sons would grow up without her lodged harshly into her heart like an enlarged splinter. Tears welled up in her eyes and spilled over messily. How could this happen? Why did it have to be this way? She closed her eyes and tugged her babies closer. A single sob engulfed the dark room. This wasn't how it was supposed to be.

"I'm sorry," she whispered brokenly into the pair of heads resting peacefully against the crook of her neck. "Mommy is so sorry... I love you both so very much. I love you. I love y-you!" she cried softly and nuzzled her teary face against the top of both heads. "I'll watch over you, I promise I will." she murmured brokenly. A soft coo made her eyes open and she glanced down, heart full of pride and sorrow as she stared down into doe eyes that were fluttered half way open. A tear dropped down and landed right underneath an eye which she carefully wiped off with a shaky, slender finger. "Mama's baby... I love you." she leaned down and pressed her lips gently against a warm forehead before trailing them over each eye. When she pulled back the dark orbs were wide open and staring up at her. "Oh Natsu." she sniffled and her lips pulled into a watery smile.

"He has your eyes." the soft, husky voice came from her right and she looked over to stare at her husband. She forgot he was beside her, too lost with the warm babies in her arms. But now she stared at the man she's loved since high school and nearly sobbed again. The sight of him broke her heart and she would've reached out to him but her arms were full with her sons. "They both do." the man was hunched over in the hospital chair, his broad shoulders slumped in defeat. His dark eyes were dull and stained red from un-shed tears. His black, short spiky hair drooped mournfully just as his mood. She wanted to pull him into her arms and keep him there forever. She wanted to do a lot at the moment with her newborn family until forever but she couldn't. Her life was slipping away every passing second. She was dying. Her husband didn't believe it when the doctor informed them but... she did. During her contractions, she had felt something inside of her stop. Like a light switch getting flipped off. It was as simple as that and the most painful excruciating sensation she had ever experienced in her life. She has a weak body even as a child. It was, unfortunately, the one thing she never grew out of. Her pediatrician, Porlyusica Grandeeney, warned her many times when she was older that giving birth would cause complications for her body. The woman grimly smiled at the thought of her old pediatrician. Once the news got around, she would surely have a cow when she finds out her ex-client not only gave birth to one but two babies. Twins to be exact. The woman, the newly mother, stared warmly at her babies in her arms. Zeref Nikkita and Natsu Ren Dragneel. As if they heard their mother say their names in her mind, two pairs of dark eyes rolled up to gaze at her unblinkingly in an owl like manner. Breath catching, she could only stare at her beautiful sons with eyes full of love.

But the sweet moment was cut short. Something inside of her panged painfully, reverberating her body like an echo. Her vision went blurry and her arms began to tremble, the light weight of her sons suddenly feeling like a ton each in her arms. The doctor told her the main problem was she had lost too much blood. She felt it, her brain was starting to grow fuzzy. "I-Inigo." she gasped shortly, a soft voice dowsed in pain. "Take them. I-I feel like I'll drop them." she cried quietly. Her husband, Inigo, had the two babies in his own strong arms in an instant and had called the nurse in right after. The man didn't notice a second nurse materialize beside him and gently plucked the becoming restless babies from his arms. He was too busy staring with slight crazed eyes at the doctor and a third nurse who hovered over his wife. Surya stared back at him, her dark eyes wide and her skin impeccably paler than it's ever been. Her dark, red hair was matted with dried sweat and limp. But her eyes... she stared deep into his own and conjured up a weak smile. "I love you." her lips read softly. And then he lost eye contact with her. Her eyes had closed.

The next few moments were chaotic. Someone in the room emitted, "Her heart is failing at a rapid pace.", and Inigo lost it. Just as Surya, his dying wife, had been lost in her own thoughts, he had been drowning in his. His thoughts tugged him like a rag doll caught in a twister. Everything from 'How can I be a father on my own?' to 'I can't live without her' abused his mind. When they found at that they were having twins, he had been so scared and excited. He and the woman of his dreams were going to raise two healthy boys together and start their own family generation. The thought was exhilarating just as it was terrifying, but they would do it together. At least that was the plan. He was on his own now. And he was so lost.

They ended up having to sedate Inigo and place him in a spare room while the twins were rushed out the room screaming their lungs out. It was a miracle that Surya had stayed alive as long as she had after giving birth but her body was at its limit and it was only fourteen minutes after everything that she had died. When Inigo came to an hour later, it was to be slapped with the news of his dead wife. Instead of losing it again, he had shut down. Staring at the white plaster ceiling with bland eyes, Inigo felt like he didn't exist. The love of his life ripped away just like that and leaving him two sons to take care of on his own. They were his first children... he was now a father for the first time ever; just how was he going to handle parenthood all by himself?

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 **End A/N:** So? Comments? Concerns? Thoughts? Critique? I have one question- will someone beta this for me? I edited this on my own but I'm not perfect and I also would like input before posting future chapters so inbox me if you're interested? If not, it's all good. I'll survive. *pouts*

I'd like to note that this is still a song-fic, it's still Gray/Natsu, and it's going to be M for various reasons. I might post this on AO3 for the smut but we shall see. I feel like I've dialed it down a lot but eh, better safe than sorry.

Thank you for reading! :)


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Personal: My line is pretty thin with some of these reviewers I have so the next time someone wants to say some slick shit I'll gladly tell you to fuck off. I ignore flames and I take criticism well as long as it's giving me a legit point. But other than that, fuck your feelings. Don't read this then. I'm not asking you to. :)

lol anyways. This chapter is a filler. It nudges on the edge of the past and introduces characters' parents (some OC's) and such, and next chapter will be the first time skip. I'm pretty sure I've done my math right with the ages but please let me know if I'm still off lol I wouldn't be surprised tbh because I'm terrible with math. For this time period, Inigo, Igneel, and Atlas are all 32, and Surya is 31. Lyra is 30. All the babies except Natsu and Zeref are 1. Ultear and Lyon's age are in here. The time skips will just keep adding them up. XD

thanks to people who I LOVE to hear from, your comments always make me smile :)

 **P.S:** to my lovely Anon, you are right, things will definitely change but I'll make sure to keep some of the abuse in (I feel so bad as I type this lol) mostly because Inigo does become unstable and will lash out. I'm happy that you're still here with me following this story, it means a lot to me T.T thank you :')

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The weather was warm and the sun lit the world in a soft halo. The sky was a gentle oceanic blue and littered with fluffs of cotton white clouds. But in the Magnolia Cemetery, the mood was quite opposite and the air was thick in a dark cloud of sorrow. The cemetery resided in a beautiful park with large, healthy oak trees, lime green grass, and a ground full of tombstones which almost all were decorated with some type of bouquet of flowers. Despite the warm scenery and the bright weather, huddled at the edge of the fence line of the cemetery, most of the Magnolia town residence stood above an open grave with heavy hearts, the grave which was for Surya Crimson Dragneel. Her funeral had been held at the Magnolia Chapel just an hour before, the same one she and Inigo had promised their vows to one another years ago.

Inigo, clad in a black suit, stood near the front where priest Yajima Kimura was talking in his natural low voice. Inigo wasn't alone where he stood. He was in the middle of buff ginger haired twins who also wore suits. The one on Inigo's right side is Igneel Flame, Magnolia's Chief at the Magnolia Police Enforcement. The twin on his left is Atlas Flame who is also a Chief but of one in Veronica (Veronica Law Department), a country north of Fiore which is where Magnolia resided in. The three men share Magnolia as their hometown and have known each other since the grade school and had been inseparable through their school years. Surya had been part of the group as well and the four of them had been well known by the town due to their antics and havoc they provided. When they graduated from Fairy Tail High, their paths divided although they left on good terms. Both Igneel and Atlas pursued law but Atlas decided to go abroad and study while his twin remained in Magnolia. Inigo and Surya also stayed but Inigo went to school for business and Surya went for music. And like they had graduated together when they were eighteen, they all graduated together at the age of twenty-two. During the growing years, Surya's music career scored her one self titled album which she released on her own with a help from her best friend Lyra, Inigo still owns his expanding business of car rentals, and both Igneel and Atlas have a full staff under them at their respective station. Surya had decided against pursuing music and instead settled down for running her own non-profit day care but stopped that as well after she found out she was pregnant. She'd made the decision she'd be a stay at home mother until her child, in this case children, were ready for day care.

And while these four were a solid pack of their own, they still had outside friends. Lyra Silver, Surya's best friend, stood a little ways back with tears flowing down her face quietly. Her chestnut colored hair was pulled up in a bun and her petite body was covered head to toe in a baby blue simple dress accompanied with a white shawl draped over her shoulders. She was only a year younger than Surya but the two of them had been extremely close. Their love for music was strong and Surya even helped Lyra open her music store. Lyra's sad brown eyes watered up as a memory flickered into her mind. It was the end of her first day with the shop and the business had been wonderful. Surya had stayed with her through it all and when closing time came, instead of going home like normal business owners, Lyra and Surya jammed out to their own music session with Lyra on the harp and Surya on the piano. They sang, laughed, and celebrated the successful completion of Lyra's first day working her own business.

Horologium Silver, Lyra's father, stood beside his daughter with his head bowed in respect. To him, Surya was a beacon of light and always wore a smile on her face. She was a selfless being and he thought of her as his own daughter despite that not being the case. From what he can remember, Surya's parents were strict folks and hard to please. At fifteen, Surya was either kicked out or left her home at a young age and moved in with Inigo and his now late father Alvarez Dragneel. If it was the latter, Horologium doesn't recall her parents fighting her to come back home to them.

Mavis Vermillion and Macarov Dreyar were also among the crowd, their hearts broken over their favorite student. Mavis is one of the founders of Magnolia's prestigious school Fairy Tail and Macarov is the principal for the elementary, middle, and high school. Surya was a pride pupil and an honor student with remarkble grades. Honestly, the girl could've done anything in life and excelled at it she was so intelligent and artistic. It was sad, absolutely shattering to see her life cut so short. But... while Mavis rubbed her eyes with a balled up tissue, Macarov steered his eyes over to the front and landed on the two gifts Surya's life left behind.

Standing on the other side of Lyra were two of her cousins, twins Gemi and Mini King. Both had soft blue hair, Mini's was waist long, and round hazel colored eyes. Gemi clad in black slacks and a black dress up shirt with a high collar and Mini wore a blue and white pencil skirt with a flowery white blouse tucked in and a brown leather belt wrapped around her waist. In her arms she held a sleeping Natsu and in her brother's arms held Zeref who was awake and making soft cooing noises.

Macarov's eyes softened as he glimpsed the two baby boys. He will miss their mother dearly but he is looking forward in watching them grow as he did with both of their parents.

Eileen Belserion held her sleeping daughter closer to her chest and gently nosed the soft vanilla scent skin of her daughter's face. Tears silently streaming down her cheeks left a pasty trail which she didn't bother of wiping off. _Dear friend may you rest in paradise_ the scarlet haired goddess thought, an image of Surya's smiling face projecting like a theater sized movie screen in her mind.

Ur and Silver Fullbuster stood beside Eileen with their own children Ultear, six, Lyon, three, and Gray who was just a year old, the same age as Eileen's daughter Erza. Silver had Gray in his arms while his wife had Lyon on her hip and Ultear in front of her, her only daughter pressing her small body against her. Ur wiped her eyes and sank into her husband after he dropped an arm over her shoulder. _Rest well Surya._

A mournful sob echoed the quiet air and all eyes turned on Inigo who had crumpled on the ground, his hands gripping the back of his head painfully. Both Igneel and Atlas lowered themselves beside their long time best friend and wrapped him in a comforting embrace. Priest Yajima closed his book and stared with sad eyes at the broken man before him. "You may lower the casket." the elderly man said softly and stepped away so the four men who would be putting the coffin in the vacant ground could move. However, before any of them could make a move, Inigo ripped himself free from the Chief twins and launched himself onto his dead wife's sealed coffin, hugging the sleek wood, shoulders shaking.

Narisma Eucliffe, a beautiful blonde woman with deep sapphire eyes, hugged her son, Sting, who was whipping his head back and forth trying to pin point the sound of distress. Narisma bit her bottom lip, warding off the third batch of tears threatening to pour over. She had always wanted Inigo for herself and childishly proclaimed Surya as her rival. Of course that was back in high school when she was young and stupid, and terribly blind to see just how much the man she loved cared something fierce for another. She never liked Surya, the girl who had everything (at least in Narisma's teenage eyes) but she never truly hated the girl. And as they grew into women, Narisma shed any lingering animosity towards Surya and came to see her in a new light she had failed to see in high school. Yes, she still carried feelings for Inigo but never in a million years would she feel happy now that Surya is permanently out of the picture.

Igneel managed to peel a very distraught Inigo off the coffin and crushed him into a bruising hug. Natsu began to stirr awake in Mini's arms and Zeref was already twisting his small body around within Gemi's arms to find the noise. Atlas could see his brother whispering to Inigo and whatever it was Igneel was saying was slowly but surely calming the man down. Rubbing his face, Atlas slowly walked over to the King twins and immediately took custody of both babies.

"Thank you." the Chief from Veronica murmured and received sad smiles.

Gemi nodded and shoved a hand in his slacks pockets. "Of course." the blue haired man looked over when he felt slender arms lace over his. Knowing it was his sister, he focused back on Atlas. "It's good to see you again even though, well, ya know..." a lazily waved his free arm weakly around their surroundings and dropped his arm back down at his side.

Atlas chuckled dryly. "Yeah, I know. It's good to see you both too. Last time I saw you two you were still in high school and now you're on your way graduating from college." the Chief smiled. "I'm proud of you both."

"Thanks Chief." Mini replied in her sweet, soft voice. She let her brother go and gave Atlas a hug as best as she could without disturbing the two little ones. Although it wouldn't have mattered much because both twins were awake now and Natsu was gazing at her in confusion. He closed his eyes when she poked his nose gently. "Bye handsome. It was nice to meet you," Mini cooed at him and gave Zeref similar treatment.

"Tell your father I said hello." Atlas nodded to Gemi who gave him a thumbs up. Saying goodbye once more, Atlas turned and made his way over to his brother and a stabilized Inigo who were both sitting down on the white plastic chairs. On the way over he kept his eyes down on the babies, his god-children, in his arms. Yes, Surya had made both him and Igneel god-fathers to Natsu and Zeref and he was excited and sad at the same time. Sighing, the man cleared his depressing thoughts away before they could attack and finally sat himself in place beside his brother. Just as he did, people began walking up to Inigo their condolences.

Narisma didn't hesitate to reach out and loop her arm around Inigo's lowered head. "She will always be with you." she whispered into his dark hair before she pulled herself back. Sting remained clutched to her like a baby chimp, his doe blue eyes staring at the dark man's slump figure who seemed to not have heard the woman, but Narisma was not offended. "Chief." Narisma politely nodded to Igneel who mirrored her. She turned to Atlas with a sad smile. "Chief." he also nodded to her.

"Great to see you Narisma." he told her kindly before looking over at her son. "Sting is much brighter in person than in the photos I see you post on Facebook. He's quite adorable."

Narisma laughed softly and slowly gravitated out of the line that had formed to speak to Inigo. "Thank you. Although it's under sad circumstances, it's really good to see you together again." the blonde smiled and waved. "Safe travels." were her departing words.

It was an hour later when Igneel and Atlas got Inigo out of his suit and into comfortable house clothes before getting him in bed. Now they stared at their un-moving friend, Atlas with concern and Igneel with slight aggravation. "I'm not telling you to get over this like I did with all of your failed dates before you had Surya but you have two little boys you need to be a father to. They'll stay with me for tonight but tomorrow you start daddy duties."

Igneel received no response just as he predicted and walked out of the bedroom without another word. Atlas shook his head at his twin. Igneel was the brash, outspoken one while he was less ill-tempered and thought before he talked. Sighing, Atlas headed towards the door and flicked the light off. "You already know he means well. Just... just don't go thinking you're alone in this because you're not. You know we'll help you out through thick and thin."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** I'm sorry this took a minute to get up and I'm sorry for how short it is. I've been really busy with work and I'm dog tired T.T Plus I just spend my entire savings account on a car so I'm really broke right now and I'm picking up extra shifts. So bear with me, okay? I'll do my best to get the next chapter up quicker and much longer than this. Also, belledylan is a new friend. She's fucking sweet and has an adorable story on Gajevy if you ship them! :D

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The two story house was made in tan brick and faced into the wide one-way street elegantly with its clean cut grassy lawn, a beautiful oak tree near the edge of the smooth driveway, and a cute porch with white railing was fully loaded with matching chairs and a table. Directly below the porch was a garden of flowers, wild healthy plants, and a patch of mint that gave the air a delightful aroma. The front door was pine wood and encased behind the glass door protector. From the outside, the first floor of the house was lined with square glass windows with white shutters, currently closed, and the floor above had a small balcony as well as the square windows with shutters. The inside of the house was equally clean and neat with cream painted walls, pristine wood floors, expensive appliances and furniture that was wrinkle free. The home contained a living room, a kitchen, three bathrooms, three bedrooms, a garage, and a tranquil backyard.

The owner of the house, Inigo Dragneel, is currently upstairs in his bedroom sandwiched between his twin five year old sons, Zeref and Natsu, on his queen. The time is seven-forty and the father stares back and forth between his sons wondering when they slipped in. It was the heat coming off in waves from their bodies that had woken Inigo up, their tiny limbs tangled together over him. The man rubbed his face and sighed but made no move to get up despite wanting to throw both their little butts out of his bed.

Darks eyes drowned in the ceiling. Being a father was not what he expected but being the only parent was something Inigo never anticipated. There's not a minute that goes by that he's not thinking about Surya and whenever his boys do anything, good or bad, he always wonders 'What would Surya do?' but then he nearly breaks down because he won't ever know, his wife was permanently gone. There were days where he hated his sons, days when he would ignore them and wallow in self pity and alcohol. There were days where he felt nothing when they were around and days when he would get physical with them. The days he played the role of a father, as he should always do, were very hard. Surya was his life, not these two. Had Surya lived Inigo would feel different than what he does now but she didn't. They took her away from him.

Still. Atlas and Igneel kept a hawk eye on him during the beginning of his fatherhood solo journey making sure he didn't slip off, ironically though, he already had, of course unbeknownst to them. No one knew how he truly felt, everyone thought that he healed and was such a devoting father. Yes, he enrolled his sons in Fairy Tail and yes, sometimes one would see him with Natsu and Zeref at the supermarket or a toy store, so the image was up and running. But it was all a play. And the curtains were stuck in place as Inigo wasn't sure when or how this act would come to an end.

...

When Natsu opened his eyes, the first view invading his irises was the pale serene face of his older twin Zeref. They were both curled in facing each other and somehow their hands had managed to clasp in their sleep. Natsu closed his eyes and nuzzled his face against one of his daddy's pillows breathing in the pine scent. Their daddy was not in bed anymore and judging from the bright sunlight seeping through the blind shutters, hadn't been for a good while. Natsu's stomach grumbled in the silent air and the boy let out a small huff, the tug in his empty stomach bothered him. Opening his eyes, the pink haired boy stared at his slumbering brother and squeezed his hand. "Zeref, wake up!" Natsu spoke loudly, his voice cracking and thick from sleep.

Dark eyes much as Natsu's own opened and stared at him in an unfocused daze. "Where's daddy?" Zeref mumbled incoherently, his words sounding mush and sloppy, but Natsu understood him perfectly. The younger boy let go of Zeref's hand and pushed himself upright in the very large bed. The dragon shirt Natsu wore was more like a dress on his small frame colored in a solid black with the dragon's face being green, brown, and scaly. One side of the shirt was down his shoulder revealing the soft light tan skin. Rubbing his eyes with small balled up fists, Natsu looked around the room. It was the master bedroom with a full walk in closet, a plush white carpet, the queen sized bed, wooden chest of drawers, a white ceiling fan, and a master's bathroom fully equipped with a jaccuzi tub. No pictures or personal belongings decorated the room but the air was lathered in their daddy's natural pine scent, so that was enough.

"Downstairs prolly." Natsu replied while he crawled to his knees and prepared himself to get off the large bed. Zeref watched him lazily, giggling once after Natsu lost his footing and momentarily hung off the edge of the bed. "Ahhh!" Natsu tumbled down to the floor, landing on his butt with a hiccup. A full blown pout slipped on his face. "Nooooo." he moaned. Whenever he falls or runs into something, he gets the hiccups. It's always been a thing ever since he was a baby. Zeref giggled some more and slid off the bed with more grace than Natsu will ever carry before helping his brother up. They remained holding hands even after entering the kitchen where they found their daddy sitting at the table with a steamy mug of coffee. Natsu's eyes lightened up and he trotted to the man dragging Zeref along. "Daddy I hunry!"

"Me too." Zeref quipped. Inigo stared at the two boys before standing up grumbling, coffee mug in tow. Natsu beamed and turned to watch their daddy go to the fridge but the man walked past right by it and left the kitchen altogether. Frowning, Natsu looked at Zeref who looked equally puzzled. "Daddy?" Zeref let go of Natsu's hand and trailed after their father while Natsu trailed after him.

"Daddy are you mad at us for sleeping with you?" Natsu asked as they found their father in the living room sprawled on the couch. Last night there had been a short thunderstorm that had the twins running to their father and climbed in bed with him. "We sorry-"

" _Shut up._ " Inigo growled successfully quieting and freezing both boys. "Don't bother me today or I'll beat your ass."

Tears welled up in both sets of dark eyes. Natsu was the first to run out of the room but he was closely followed by a sniffing Zeref. The little boys stuck like glue to each other back in the kitchen in silence and confusion.


	4. Author's Note (it's not what you think)

So today my mom and little brother were in a car accident today. It was actually three cars altogether that were hit, they were T boned. I'm going to be a little personal here and tell you I'm adopted along with my brother (not blood related) and that our mom is in her 60's so this accident banged her up pretty good. She shattered her wrist, bruised both legs, and says her head hurts and that she keeps seeing fuzzy stuff. That could be the drugs she's on, at least that's what I'm hoping.. she's home with me, luckily she's retired so she has time to rest up. She normally bounces back fairly quickly but she's shaken up. The car hit her so hard that she slammed into the car behind her. Both air bags blew up in her face, burned her arm. We were at the hospital forever yo. Anyways, I hate to say this because I do it all the time... but I'll be taking a short break from here and focus on my mom and work. Her car is wrecked and she just paid it off, you know? Fucking sucks but I guess that's life. :/

the funny thing is they were coming back from Finding Dori and like, I was hella salty because I've been waiting for this movie my entire life, and when my mom told me I legit teared up I was so upset. I didn't answer her texts or nothing and now I'm like damn. That could've been the last time she interacted with me and I was acting like a complete bratty child. so.

Obviously I'll be back but I wanted to letcha know why I'm taking off once again. And I can't tell you all enough how much I appreciate your reviews and the fact people continue to follow my stories and me as an author. If I were to ever permanently leave FF I want everyone to know that I would leave my stories up for sho because some of you like them more than me lol. xx


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N:** I apologize for the wait. So much has been going on with all these shootings and cops brutality, it's very very **very** sickening. It's made me sick to my stomach. Two deaths in one week. Countless of others the fucking media hasn't let out. I'm a Black Lives Matter supporter as well as a supporter for all lives, yet I'm sitting here wondering why cops are gunning down my black brothers, threatening my sisters. I'm related to one personally and I'm terrified he won't come home one day. What if **I** don't make it home one day? And why, all because of my skin color? Despicable. It's murder. All of these cases are murder. As for the Dallas shooting, I'm sick. Yeah yeah, it's sad the cops died but why did they get a memorial on the media and Sandra Bland didn't? What about Alton and Philando? It's disgusting and wrong on every level. You fuckers who think the BLM movement is racist needs a big cup of fuck you and a wake up call to go along with it. I'm trying to stay positive and everything, but this is weighing me down. As an African American **WOMAN** , I'm really growing tired of this. I can't take any more killings. It's like, after Christina Grimmie everything went down hill. My LGBTQ heart was crushed, it's still mending to be honest, from the man slaughter in the club. This is how we plan on making 'America' great again? The only hope I have right now is that video of the BLM and all lives matter protesters united together and hugged and prayed for the Dallas incident. That's what we need, that's what we have to do. All lives matter means that all lives matter, no? Then lets stop killing African American people like it's a sport because our lives fucking matter too.

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As the twins grew older they found themselves drifting apart from their father who was too far consumed in a dark pit. Fits of depression and neglect became an every day routine in the Dragneel home due to Inigo who had become quite unstable with his negative emotions that drowned him into rage and misery. When he felt too overwhelmed, he lashed his pent up rage on his sons but Natsu was mainly his target. Natsu looked too much like Surya it made him sick. But when Inigo slapped or punched Natsu hard enough then his face would color a shade of blue and purple. Sometimes his eyes would swell up and then he wouldn't look like Surya so much to Inigo. For the most part, only Zeref would get hit if he tried to intervene in with his father when he was giving Natsu blows.

And while the physical abuse was mostly played in the twins daily life, they were also neglected. It was as if most, if not all, days they didn't even exist to their father. Together they had to learn how to make their own food especially when their father hadn't gone to the store in awhile. After an incident (where they both got beat as punishment) with the stove, a pot of boiling water for noddles, and Zeref accidentally burning himself with said boiling water, the older twin was absolutely terrified of fire and hot things. This meant that Natsu had to take up with the cooking at the stove and handling anything remotely hot. They started doing their own laundry, but after Natsu accidentally bleached half their clothes, Zeref was the brother who did most of it. At least Natsu helped folding. School wasn't really an issue until their father decided to stop driving them there himself. Zeref came up with an excuse saying that their father was so wrapped up in work and the company that they needed the school's bus to start picking them up and dropping them off.

No longer did the twins sleep in their own bed but shared one as they slept together to ward off the heavy blanket of loneliness that covered them, suffocating them. It was Zeref who was the one who broke down and climbed into bed with Natsu. That night laying in his own bed, Zeref couldn't breathe. His room was so dark and the walls seemed to close in on him trying to suffocate his lungs. Shadows and whispers in the dark had his mind reeling. His eyes played tricks on him and it all became too much so he fled, going to the only person in the world that made him safe. Natsu, even though asleep, had turned over and snuggled close to Zeref who had instantly calmed down. And ever since then, Natsu's bed became Zeref's and they both soaked in the comfort of each other. Some nights the brothers would stay awake, their limbs tangled together while they took turns telling stories about how they pictured their mother to be and what they'd all be doing if she was there with them. Some nights Natsu cried and clung to Zeref, and sometimes Zeref would cry and cling to Natsu.

When they were at school, they remained stuck at the hip with each other like they are at home but unlike at home, they wouldn't be so tense or cautious in what they did. They had friends, they played and learned. They pretended that their problems at home weren't real and enjoyed their time that wasn't full of fear. And one day at school the twins really forgot their life at home when Chief Igneel showed up surprising the twins and their class with a few officers who wore party hats, a cake and punch, and two gift bags with white tissue paper sticking out of them. It was the twin's sixth birthday and neither brother expected much out of it because of their father. But Chief Igneel changed it that day.

Ms. Beth, their kindergarten teacher, was in the middle of reading so all of the chairs and desks were pushed in a semi circle with Ms. Beth stationed at the center. When Igneel arrived, the Chief stood in the middle of the open circle standing in front of Natsu's and Zeref's tables with a wide grin on his face. The man's wild copper hair was pulled in a messy bun and his uniform was replaced with blue jeans and a black muscled shirt. Everyone watched the Chief set down the gifts on each twin's desk.

"Happy birthday runts!" the man said in a loud, exuberant voice. One of the officers who was one of Igneel's many younger brother, Zirconis, threw confetti over the twins, the glitter falling down on them colorfully. The second officer, Levia who's also a brother, placed crowns atop of their heads before passing out party hats to the rest of the class. Ms. Beth laughed and closed her book; she would end reading early today for the special occasion, and also because her Chief had transformed into a child himself and was going about her classroom firing up her students. The young teacher unwrapped the cake to cut it and the two officers, Zirconis and Levia, passed them out on little red plates. The punch was passed out once it was all poured and everyone sang Happy Birthday to Natsu and Zeref before digging into their sweet treats. It wasn't long before Igneel brought out games and such that the children all loved. It was quite a festive turn of a day that the twins were happy for, especially when Igneel informed them that he was going to take them to a movie that evening.

It was their first time ever going to a movie theater and the movie they saw was _so_ big on the screen and it was so loud and awesome. Plus they each got an Icee which was sooo delicious, the most sweetest slushy ever! And after their movie escapade, Igneel took them home to open their present since he hadn't let them when they were at school. Inigo had been present when his sons opened their gift and remained aloof about it much to Igneel's displeasure. But for once, neither Natsu or Zeref paid mind to their father as they tore open their gifts. Natsu received a white scarf that had dragon scales as a design. He also got a new set of clothes. Black loose cotton pants with gold trim and an open vest that was also black with gold trim. Along those, he got a little treasure chest full of candy, gum, and chocolate and some dragon tattoos.

Zeref got the same little treasure chest and a new set of clothes as well (exactly like Natsu's but isntead of gold trim, it was white trim), and instead of a scarf, Zeref got a necklace. The cord was black and tied at the center was a black crystal that gleamed under the light. Beyond thrilled, the twins launched themselves at Igneel crying 'thank you' over and over again. Igneel had laughed and hugged them back before telling them their father also had gifts for them. Of course, that was very hard to believe until Inigo had pulled out two identical white gift bags and offered them to his shocked sons. Zeref took his bag first and Natsu followed suit, and as soon as they collected their bags, Inigo stood up and left the room without another word. Igneel stared after his friend and sighed before he eased himself down on the ground between the brothers who were opening their gifts.

It was a CD album. And once Igneel got over his surprise, the boys learned that it wasn't just any album. It was their mother's. Igneel was dumbfounded as he stared down at the CD case. He owned Surya's only album and knew all five songs on the CD by heart. But reading the twin's copies, he's shocked to find two songs listed as six and seven that he's never heard before. And with a start Igneel realizes this must be the unedited album, the one where Surya had taken two songs out before releasing her self titled album. "Where have you been hiding this Inigo?" the Chief murmured to himself while flipped the case back to the front where Surya's beautiful smiling face greeted him. The album's background design was of a sunset with floating Sakura petals floating in the air. And in the middle, sitting on a wooden bench with a guitar in her lap, was Surya. She was wearing her favorite sun dress with the green and yellow flower print. The dress stopped right above her ankles and in the photo she was barefoot. Her legs were crossed and her feet were a few inches off the ground, but her long, blossom pink hair was down and nearly brushed the concrete with its flowy length. Her smile was aimed brightly at the camera showing her white teeth and glossy full lips. On the bottom right corner of the case her name was scrawled in her beautiful signature.

"Why did daddy give us this?" Zeref asked Natsu and turned to face his slightly younger twin. But Natsu was staring intently down at the woman while stroking the outline of her mane of hair. Zeref looked down at his copy and studied the woman with his dark eyes. That's when Igneel carefully explained who the woman was to them and shared how their mother was a music artist before they were born. After many questions and tears, the trio of twins and Chief were a tangled of limbs on the living room couch while listening to Surya's voice coming gently from the stereo. Igneel's eyes were closed as he listened to Surya talk on the first track which was her intro in explaining her album and herself and her style. He remembers the tracklist all too well.

1\. Intro

2\. Ignite

3\. Keep Holding On

4\. That's The Way It Is

5\. At The Beginning (in this song, Inigo was featured in it making it a duet between the couple)

And now the new tracks that were never released, the ones Igneel didn't know existed:

6\. Lullabye

7\. River Flows In You (this song is more of a musical piece as Surya is only playing the piano)

Natsu had snuggled up closer to Igneel and held out his hand to Zeref who was snuggled in on the Chief's other side. Zeref was staring at the wall without seeing it, his eyes glazed over as he listened for the first time ever to his mother's voice. Even so, he sensed Natsu and without looking, reached his own hand out and allowed Natsu to link them together. Igneel didn't mind their little arms laced over his stomach and had just tugged them closer to him as he drank in Surya's honey melted voice.

 _Like a ship in the harbor_

 _Like a mother and child_

 _Like a light in the darkness_

 _I'll hold you awhile_

 _We'll rock on the water_

 _I'll cradle you deep_

 _And hold you while Angels_

 _Sing you to sleep_

"Like a ship in the harbor," a silky cream voice purred gently in the room. It was Surya's voice speaking out from the speakers. Natsu and Zeref poked their heads up and stared the stereo, their dark eyes bright. As soon as she spoke, a wave of voices, all female, sang her words in the background like an echo. "Like a mother and child." Surya whispered. Mother... Natsu laid his head back down and squeezed Zeref's hand. This was their mother singing. This was their mother's _voice_.

 _Like a mother and child_ the voices sang. "Like a light in the darkness..."

The song was beautiful and much too short. Igneel stayed an extra hour listening to Lullabye with the twins until they both fell asleep. "Happy birthday." he told their sleeping bodies softly after tucking them in Natsu's bed. He left without speaking to Inigo because his emotions were a bit haywire. He'd call him the next day though, there was a lot to be discussed between the two about many things.

The day had started a bit rocky and ended with pleasing revelations for the twins. They hadn't expected much and ended up receiving a lot. It turned out to be a happy day, a good birthday. But birthday number six was the first and last decent birthday they would have for awhile.

 **3 Years Present (Twins age 9)**

"Again." Zeref demanded in a soft, polite murmur. No matter, Natsu still rolled his eyes and huffed out a sigh.

"My voice will die! You sing it." the pink haired twin elbowed his brother in his arm. Like any normal Saturday evening, the twins were laying in their bed after a somewhat busy day. Zeref was on his stomach and used his crossed arms as a pillow for his head. His dark inky tressess were much longer now and covered his dark eyes. He had grown a few inches taller through the years and remained milky pale. He wore black shorts and a black cotton shirt and his ankles were crossed down by the foot of the bed. Natsu was beside him but on his back, and wore his long red shorts. His pink hair had gotten even more spiky and a few inches longer. He remained a healthy light tan and had grown a few inches like his brother. His bare torso was slim and soft looking even with faded bruises and scars littered against the skin. Marks from his father in the past but Natsu just tries to keep going forward in his life.

"I like your voice better." Zeref emphasized and lifted his face up from the crook of his arms in order to stare at Natsu. "It mixes better with mom's than mine." the older twin pointed out and rounded his eyes slightly readying them for his Puppy Dog Eyes just in case Natsu refused him again. To Zeref's pleasure, his brother did not and only huffed once more but this time in defeat.

"Fiiiiine. But you get up and press play. I'm comfortable." Natsu proves his point by snuggling deeper against his pillow with a smirk. Zeref rolls his eyes but climbs out of the bed any how and heads to their little CD player plugged in on the ground.

...

Inigo is about to walk past the twins' room but when he hears his dead wife's voice, he halts.

"Like a ship in the harbor," Surya's voice. So pure, so soft.

 _"Like a ship in the harbor."_ the man froze upon hearing the new voice. Slightly high pitched but unwavering, soft yet undertoned with a sizzling scratchy spark. It was Natsu. Inigo went numb. His son- that boy was _singing_ Surya's song and sounded a lot like her too. Not in tone per se but it seemed that Natsu had picked up Surya's traits in singing. The way Surya curled each ending note at the end, Natsu mimicked. And whenever she held a long note and echoed it off softly, Inigo could hear Natsu parroting her in that regard. He was never on key and couldn't hold a note for very long but give it time and Inigo thinks Natsu could really sing like his mother.

 _ **No...**_

Zeref had long unraveled himself and was now draped across Natsu's lap, his arms loosely wrapped around his brother's waist. Natsu had to sit up and sing so his legs were stretched out on the bed and he kept himself propped up by leaning back on his hands. Both of their eyes were closed; Natsu was enraptured in the song and his mother's voice. Zeref was zoned out by his brother's and mother's voice tangled together in a soothing webb. He could fall asleep right about n-

 _ **WHAM.**_ "Shut the fuck up!" Inigo roared and stomped through the small bedroom. Zeref jolted up with his eyes wide and Natsu, who had stopped singing, pushed himself closer to Zeref, his own dark eyes wide but holding more emotions than fear. "Don't sing her song, don't sing at all in my fucking house!" the enraged man violently unplugged the music player and ripped the plastic lid up. Natsu gasped when he realized what their father was doing. Scrambling off the bed, the pink haired child ran up to the man in hopes of stopping him from taking his mother's CD.

"Stop it! You gave this to me!" Natsu protested and leaped up to try and take the disk in Inigo's hand but Inigo shot his leg up and kicked Natsu down. Zeref shouted his brother's name and shoved himself off the bed to run to Natsu. But their father grabbed Natsu by his arm and roughly yanked him up.

"I would never give Surya to you!" their father yelled and shoved Natsu back. Zeref tried to catch him but they both ended up falling to the floor instead. "She's mine, do you fucking understand?!"

Zeref tugged Natsu to him as close as possible and wrapped his arms and legs around him like a shield. Natsu's back was pressed flushed to his chest and Zeref tightened his arms that were wrapped around Natsu's bare chest and trembling shoulders after their father stepped toward them threateningly. Burying his face in his little brother's neck, Zeref whimpered out, "She's our mother."

"Did I stutter? Shut. Up. Don't talk about her, don't think about her, and don't sing about her either! God damn it!" Inigo kicked the nearest wall before he stormed out of their room.

"Natsu! Natsu, are you okay?" Zeref fretted thickly, his voice clenched up from holding back tears. Gently he traveled his hands over his brother's body trying to feel any wounded skin. Natsu shook his head mutely and curled in on himself with a sniffle. Zeref held him and pressed their faces together comfortingly.

"I hate him." Natsu whispered. His mind was full of their father's abuse for the past three years. His sporadic random behavior, his verbal and physical abuse, his yelling. Natsu hated it. They try so hard to please their father even if that means avoiding him in their own home. They try hard to stay out of his way but at the same time keep their chores around the house done so he wouldn't come looking for them in a raging fit. Whatever they did, no matter how much good they meant of it, they could never make their father happy.

"Don't say that." Zeref reprimanded softly but Natsu shook his head again, this time, more fiercely.

"He hates us too!" whipping up and whirling around to face his brother, Natsu stared at him with tearful eyes. "He can't stand us and he doesn't love us like a real dad should!" the distraught brother flung his arms around Zeref and bubbled wetly into his neck. Zeref closed his eyes and buried his face into Natsu's hunched over shoulder and allowed his restrained tears to finally fall. It was awhile before the twins moved out of their position on the floor but once they did, it was with sluggish movement as they crawled into bed with heavy desolation.

* * *

Ten year old Gray Fullbuster sighed for the millionth time in the span of five minutes. He was sitting on one of the plush chairs at a very long expensive dining table made of mahogany and scratch free along with twenty or so other people. Very loud people. A very energized group of people. People who are his family to be exact. Unfortunately for the young Fullbuster, his family was having their annual Kick Back which happened every other month on the first Saturday. As usual, the Kick Back was at the King's residence because the one time they held it at Uncle Horologium's home, one of the harps Uncle Horologium owned got shattered. And Silver, Gray's father and the youngest brother to Horologium and Celestial, refused to let any of the 'Brats' come near his home where all of his guitars were safely stored in. Besides, Ur adds, their home isn't quite big enough for all them to have their Kick Back in. So, King's residence it always is.

And it was always chaotic. As always, Celestial King and his wife Granmamare resided at the head of the long table in their elegant matching chairs. Horologium and Silver sat on opposite sides of each other putting their brother and his wife in the middle of them. Then sitting beside Silver is Ur, his wife, and next to Horologium is Lyra. After that... it's a pack of brats who sit out of order and cause chaos. Thankfully Gray and Loke have managed their seating arrangement to remain as the two chairs on the left side of the table, the two chairs that are always second to the last on the row. It never fails that the two cousins are glued side by side at every Kick Back and their family members respect enough to not screw their system up. As for them, the family, no one ever sits in the same spot besides the adults, Loke and Gray. Take Virgo for instance. Gray sighed as the aforementioned thirteen year old violet haired cousin reached over him to grab the knocked over pepper shaker before seasoning it on her half eaten steak. At the last Kick Back, Virgo had sat near her mother and across from her fraternal twin, Pisces, who was currently snug between Scorpio and Aquarius who had Pisces' plate in front of her as she cut his steak.

"Close your mouth Loke! EW!" Libra, who sat on one of the chairs across from Gray, shrieked in disgust. Loke just cackled and Gray rolled his eyes before looking down at the busier side of the dinner table. It both warmed and irritated him at the expand of his family. He spotted his older sister Ultear a few seats down wiping Aries's face off with her napkin, and witnessed his older brother Lyon talking to Taurus, both of them sitting beside each other in the middle of the opposite row of Gray's. And of course throughout the mix, all of their parents were in their own serious conversations at the head of the table. Ur was telling Lyra and Granmamare about her new Spaghetti Pie recipe while Celestial, as always, was gushing about his label company, Spirit King Labels, and new upgrades he planned to install as soon as possible. Silver added to it at times as he was an artist at the world wide known label as well as helped his brother run the company, and their oldest brother just listened fondly.

They were truly quite the pact. The family stems from the Keys, brothers Horologium, Celestial, and Silver's original last names. At the oldest, Horologium is sixty-one and following him is Celestial who is fifty-nine and then Silver who is forty-three. They were all roughly in their twenties or late twenties when they each had their first born child which are Lyra who is thirty-nine now, Capricorn who's thirty-six, and Ultear who's fifteen. Because Lyra is an only child, after Capricorn it's Sagittarius who's thirty-four, twins Gemi and Mini are thirty-two, Cancer twenty-nine, Taurus twenty-seven, Scorpio twenty-six, Aquarius eighteen, Libra sixteen, Virgo and Pisces thirteen, and Aries nine. Of course Loke and Gray are the same age which is ten, and Lyon is thirteen.

Because of their complicated relationship with their now deceased parents, all three brothers had no problem changing their name when they met their counterparts. Well, Horologium split from his wife years ago but they left on good terms so he kept her name which is Spirit. The brothers restarted their generation and Celestial splashed the King name with glam after creating his label company and Silver, who'd always been into music like his older brother, was one of the first artist's to release his music from the label, along with a few others that Celestial signed. Of course, that was years ago so now the company was known worldwide and aspiring artists dream of being signed underneath the King label. People apply like crazy just to work there, no matter if it's janitor work or the garbage collector. Some of Celestial's children work under him but he also has a decent staff at the moment to help run it all. Celestial built an empire and has no plans of it to ever stop expanding.

Silver had slowly pulled himself out of the limelight right before Ur gave birth to their only daughter. He's hardly in the studio as much as he was in the beginning but he provides songs he writes on his free time. His occupation now is social work in child services. And Ur is one of the more exceptional lawyer's in Magnolia. Celestial's wife owns her modeling company slash fashion line and distributes a lot of her hand made outfits to her husband's artists whenever they made a music video.

All in all, this pact of family members have been in the game for a long while and their children are accustomed to their first class manner. Not to mention King or Fullbuster is a name that would cause fans to go in an uproar. Most of the King/Fullbuster brats didn't have a problem with their status. Loke ate it up in his mini spotlight but Gray could care less. At school he's surrounded by kids from all ages who fight to be his friend just for the sole reason of who his family are. He's treated like a famous person himself when he hasn't done anything to earn that type of status. There's only one person in his class that doesn't treat him like a celebrity and that's Sting Eucliffe, a blond ten year old who Gray considers his best friend alongside with Loke.

And speaking of Loke, his cousin was tugging on his arm. Looking at olive green eyes with his dark cobalt, Gray raised his thin dark eye brows. "Let's go." Loke leaned in to whisper before he slid out his seat. Gray followed suit without question and in blue and orange blurs they dashed out of the dining room leaving their loud family behind.

* * *

"Be careful. The older one bites."

At the warning, the scrawny looking man with dark purple hair cautiously eyed the two little boys sitting on the one chair in his office. "Okaay... erm." light ivory colored eyes nervously skimmed over the newest charge and didn't have to read his paperwork on the two to know they were brothers. But the man did open his folder to read their ages and names.

Rogue Redfox, age 9.

Gajeel Redfox, age 11.

With another look-over it wasn't heard to tell which one was the older brother. And upon further reading the new case, the man found out the two had just been removed from their fourth foster home and their social worker, Jose Porla, was exterminated from neglect of the brothers and _sexual harassment?_ The purple haired man sucked in a short breath and glanced up at the brothers. _He was their worker!_ His strangely colored eyes widened when he found himself staring into angry ruby gems. Previously when he came in they had both ignored him, but now the brother with longer midnight spiky hair was glaring at him. _Such hatred..._ getting a grip, the man walked around his desk and sank down in his chair as well as setting the folder spread open over the wood. Smoothing his face over, the man plastered a soft smile over his face and folded his arms.

"Hello, my name is Rabian Crux. Would either of you like a juice box or a bag of pretzels?" Rabian asked and pulled the third drawer open connected to his desk. However he was met with silence. Glancing up, he saw he had both of their eyes on him now. And what a wonderful color their blood ruby red gems were. Clearing the tickle away in his throat, the man carried on. "I won't say I understand your situation because I'm sure you've heard it plenty of times from people who simply do not _understand_ what you've gone through, but I will promise you now that you are in safe hands." Rabian vowed solemnly. He stared at the two boys, one huddled up to the other's chest with his arms laced tight around him. Just from gazing into their eyes Rabian couldn't imagine what awful things they'd been put through.

That was all going to stop here and now, as that's his job as the director of the Children Services: Home and Care business strictly run for children who are stuck in abusive households or homeless. To put protective shields around children in need. To find them adequate homes or safe foster homes and assign a worker for them as their safe outlet. Rabian grabbed his work phone off the hook and dialed a number. The line went straight to Silver Fullbuster's voicemail and at first the director was put off but then he remembered what day it was... and oh yes he does make sure the business is operated day and night even on the weekends. Ending the failed call, Rabian dialed another number and was satisfied when the line picked up on the second ring.

"Metalicana. I do believe a very important engagement has come up for you."

As Rabian spoke into the phone, the brothers dived into their own private conversation.

"I'm tired of moving Gajeel..." Rogue's small voice only ventured into his older brother's ears and the boy was held tighter against the bigger body.

"We ain't movin' anymore. We stayin' right here until these stupid grown ups get their act together because they all suck right now." Gajeel growled back lowly.

Rogue tilted his head up and gazed at his brother's face. "But do you think this man will really help us?" he quipped in a quiet voice.

Gajeel only humphed in reply. He wouldn't get his hopes up but like hell he would tell Rogue that.

 **Line Break (the time is Two Weeks Later)**

Natsu trekked the elementary school's hall alone, his footsteps being the only noise echoing in the silence. His class was having free time and he was coming back from the bathroom but before he reached Ms. Risley's class, as he turned the corner, he was met with soft sniffles. Puzzled, the pink haired boy quickly sought out the source of noise after turning another corner in the hallway. Hunched over on the ground with his back against the wall was a black haired boy. Even with his body curled over and his face hidden away, he looked familiar to Natsu and realized why. After he stepped closer, Natsu recognized the boy to be Rogue Redfox. He was a fairly new student at Fairy Tail and was in his class. Rogue never really engaged with the other third graders and kept to himself like a shy bunny. Natsu knows he has an older brother but he's in the fifth grade and his class is on a complete different floor level. Natsu also remembered that five minutes before their free time, Rogue had asked to use the restroom and appeared to have never come back. Natsu wondered why.

"Oi!" Rogue jumped and poked his head up from where it was pressed against his pulled up knees. "Whatcha crying on the ground for?" Natsu was none too blunt and plunked himself down beside the crying boy which surprised him. "Didju hurt yourself or something? Where at?" Natsu asked as if Rogue had answered him. Rogue blinked at him. Natsu blinked back. "Well?"

"I... I want my brother..." Rogue finally responded in a very quiet, shy voice. The black haired boy hugged his knees and pushed his body further on them, his chin coming to slide in between the slits his knees made. His round ruby eyes were watery and his eye lashes had several tear drops caught on their fans. Natsu didn't think when he wiped the both oddly colored eyes with the sleeve of his shirt. From his understanding, the Redfox brothers come from a similar background like him and Zeref, so Natsu felt some kind of connection already with them when they had first arrived. At least with Rogue who was in his class. Plus they had really cool eyes that reminded Natsu of red dragon scales.

"You'll see him soon." Natsu could understand missing his brother. Well, not really because he never lets Zeref out of his sight. Well, they can stand being away from each other to some extent but to be in a whole different class must be pretty hard. "Come on, walk back with me." Natsu zipped up to his feet and tugged Rogue up after him, the latter squeaking in alarm. "Stay with me and my brother until you see yours at the end of the day. It's almost over, you'll see." Natsu reassured a lip trembling Rogue. "You'll be just fine if you stick with me! 'Kay? Nod for me?"

Natsu stopped walking and stared expectantly at Rogue who stood there timidly. Natsu was patient and those who have patience earn good Karma. Lo and behold, Rogue nodded softly and whispered, " 'Kay." in a very quiet affirmitive voice. Natsu grinned and continued walking with Rogue following him behind staring quizzically at his back. And what they both didn't know that this act of sweet valor was the opening of their roles they would each play in their future lives.


End file.
